FOR many Celtic fans, the mute conclusion to Tuesday evening’s transfer window was akin to the suspense of a Christmas morning which ends with the anti-climactic unwrapping of domestic basics rather than the discovery of a luxurious, much coveted item.

The striker they craved was not forthcoming.

The Parkhead side, inevitably, controlled the bulk of the transfer dealings this side of the border with a deal totalling just over £4.5million for Joso Simunovic and an additional £500k outlay on Ryan Christie who will remain in Inverness on a loan deal.

But while Simunovic will be expected to replace Virgil van Dijk who made the inevitable move to Southampton, and Tyler Blackett, the on-loan Manchester United defender, also there to bolster what has been an alarmingly porous defence in these opening weeks of the campaign, there were question marks over Celtic’s failure to add another forward.

The club were linked with loan moves for Steven Fletcher and Michu but in truth there was little genuine substance to moves for either player. Prohibitive salaries made the chasm between Celtic’s ceiling and the current wages of Fletcher and Michu significantly too wide to bridge, while there was also the suggestion that neither player was excited at the thought of playing in the SPFL.

There were moves made on Tuesday night for two unnamed strikers – one of whom is expected to be revisited in the January transfer window – but for now it will be a forward line of Leigh Griffiths, Nadir Ciftci and Anthony Stokes who take the club into a two-pronged assault on the SPFL and the Europa League.

Griffiths will be expected to top the scoring charts, assuming he maintains his fitness, but the jury remains out on Ciftci, while Stokes was almost at the exit door on Tuesday to Bolton.

The Irish forward was in the starting line-up against Dundee United at Tannadice a few weeks back but by and large he has cut a forgotten figure at Celtic after failing significantly out of favour.

Stefan Scepovic, the 25-year-old Serbian who arrived on deadline day last year with a £2.3m pricetag, was allowed to head to Getafe on a season long loan deal after netting just six goals in 26 appearances last term.

It leaves Ronny Deila’s side with little wiggle room for injuries or loss of form although former Celtic player and assistant Murdo MacLeod believes that domestically there is little reason for the Parkhead side to fear.

“I do think they have enough,” he said. “Griffiths has looked very sharp and has made himself the number one striker at the club. At domestic level they have enough to cope.

“In European terms, I don’t know that just one player would guarantee you entry into the latter stages of the Europa League.

“The competition might not be the Champions League but with the likes of Borussia Dortmund in there as well as Ajax and Fenerbahce, whom Celtic have been drawn against, there are teams in there who carry a Champions League pedigree with them.

“At that level you would probably need to bring in a number of big-name players to be able to feel you had enough to make major inroads and I just don’t think that is realistic at the minute.”

Between 2001 and 2009 Celtic competed in the Champions League group stages in six seasons out of eight. There were two occasions they failed to make it through – but a Uefa Cup final appearance in one of those seasons sweetened that disappointment considerably.

Since then the landscape of Scottish football had altered dramatically while the riches on offer in England have made it night on impossible for Celtic to compete financially with even Championship clubs.

The absence of Rangers in the top flight has also removed a fear element from Celtic’s domestic season which may go someway to explaining why their Cup record has not been particularly eye-catching in recent seasons; recapturing that edge for a one-off game is a difficult switch to flick.

So while economically the club can point to a balance sheet that justifies the club’s blueprint of buying young talent to sell on, with the likes of Fraser Forster, Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama all fitting that category, what that has translated to on the park is a team that always seems to be in a state of flux.

The policy lends itself to the creation of a constant re-building project, with managers entitled to feel that the rug is pulled from under their feet just as they might be establishing solid foundations.

Yet while that has been the cause of frustration in some parts, there is an argument to suggest that realistically, in the current climate, there is little other way for Celtic to operate.

“In every window you see big clubs shell out eye-watering amounts of money and even if Celtic were to go out and spend the likes of £7m or £8m on a couple of players, it would be a drop in the ocean compared to what is going on elsewhere,” said MacLeod. “When you see clubs like Brentford pay £8m for one player you can see how much of a challenge it is.

“You can spend money on a player but ultimately every signing is a gamble. You can never guarantee how they fit into the team.

“You look at Celtic’s policy of bringing in young players with a lot of potential and it has worked. The challenge is to keep doing it and it is not easy.

“It is different times that we are in just now and I have some sympathy for the supporters who would love to see a big name player, but also for those trying to keep the club afloat and ticking over.

“It is a difficult balance but I do think that Celtic still have a very strong squad. “